Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-10-07
TIE BURNT CHESTNUT.

Inns Is the famous Burnt CheS nut
runway said Maj. Silas Haight, known
all over the commonwealth as "the Lone
Fisherman of Kettle Creek" "This is
the fav'rite spot for deer hunters an it's
known fur an near ez Burnt Ches nut
runway, though tn hain't no more sign
of burnt ches nut here nav til n tn is
on that flat rock yonder. Right whar
yon second growth pine is standin'. not
an inch to the left nor to the right, is jist
whar the oil burnt chestnut stood th't
give this runway its name, years an
years ago. an it'll be the OF Burnt Ches'-
nut runway ez long ez there hunter left
to come here an stan an take his
chances fer deer.
"Ol' Burnt Ches'nu I'd jist like to
hev some o the oil times over az in th't
I've had on this blame nigh played out
mountain! Wen l look back at EN- I
get humsick all through, an ez lonesome
ez a widdered turtle dove. TIL hain't
nothin' nor nobody no more, sonny, an
that's a fact. That is, not to speak on.
Therz one or two O the Of boys left yit, an
wunst in W lie they manage to strike
out here an ptend they're ketchin'
fish, an play at huntin' deer, But tn
was a hull nest of us in the rippin' an
tearin oil times. an we run the town.
ship. for its leadin' citizens in them days
was deer an ba + an painters. Some o
the oil boys d git keerless now an then,
an let a bar ketch hiplock on EN-, or
give a panther too much rope, an so
they gradually got chewed up an pulled
in two. Thar We're Pete Muffer. come
to think on it. He got missed one fall
an didn't never show up with the boys
ag'in. He We're fault findin' sort O.
chap, Pete We're. an allaz KEEP iawin'
cause tn want nothin' in the woods
with tacklin any more. an he got up
an swore, reg'lar ev'ry fall, th't he'd
never be happy till he could git some'rs
whar he could rassel tigers or sumpin' O.
that kind th't We're with tacklin an
were likely to stan some show with him.
So wen Pete didn't turn up no more,
we s'posed, O. course, he had along his
rifle on his shoulder an pulled out for
some deestric or other whar tigers was
roamin' about an roarin' for somebody
to come and give 'em some lessons in
rough an tumbles. We had poorly nigh
forgot all about Pete, but the mex spring
arter he'd cut sticks. ez we s'posed. Jim
Barmer slugged a big bar over thong
Persimmen Holler one day. TIL wa t
nuthin' differ'nt bout that bar from
any other bar, 'cept tht Wen Jim
dressed it he un' arthed big tin terbacker
box in its innards. The box was battered
an stained an showed hard times gin
orally, but tn want no mistakin' O. it..
Evry body rec nized it as Peter Muffer S,
an that S all tn We're left o him. The
rest O him had nat 'rally disappeared,
but tn hain't no bar as ever stole pig
ez kin digest a tin terbacker box, sure.
''Then thar We're CODE Ransom. CODE
want rash, giner'ly speakin', but one
nice day in the fall he bit off a leetle
more'n he could chaw w EN- he tried to
git away with three painters at one time
right over yonder in the Goose Medder
woods. Not e'zac'ly that, nuther, fer he
did git away with 'em, but the trouble
were, he didn't git away from 'em.
Wen we run ag'in CODE the mex day he
were layin on top O one O. the biggest
painters / ever see. Gobe's left hand
were clutched on its throat, an his
tother hand We're tight aroun' the han
die of his huntin' knife an the blade O.
the knife were up to the hilt in the paint.
er's heart Off to one side laid two more
big painters, both deadern the Pilgrim
fathers. So were the painter CODE were
layin' on. So were CODE an tn want
much left O. him, nuther.
"An' thar We're tough an game Jesl
Patten. That poor teller grieved himself
to death, say some, as measles is ketchin
josh stepped inter one o his own b'al
traps one day an thar he was. Tht
jaws o the trap held him tighter thin {
wise, 'twiXt the knee an the ankle. TIL
want no use O his tryin' to git out an
so he sot down to grin an bear it, hopin
tht some o us mowt stumble along tha
way an help him loose. He were tina
in the iron jaws O that trap fer day an
a night an nobody showed up to Civ,
him lift. Seeing th't the chances wa
th't he'd hef to starve in the trap niles
some kind hearted bar should com
along and chaw him, josh sot t
an prayed for bar. A big un kin
snuffin' an growlin' to'ards the ira
mex day, but it seemed to reco'nize Jesl
an were feared to tackle him. Jesl
act ally coaxed bruin, with tears stream
in down his cheeks to pitch in an rous
him an let him die like white man, bu
the bar turned tail and dug fer the swamp
Then josh swore th't he wouldn't starve
but would die game; an so he drawe
his huntin' knife to slash it cross hi
wizzen pipe, W EN- all of student an Idle
hit him in the conk. 'Ste'd O. splittir
his wizzen pipe, josh just onjinted hi
leg at the knee an crawled to his cabi
two miles away. Two or three O. us boy
had happened together thar that mornir
not KNOWN th't josh were missin'. II
come a crawlin' in vile they were thai
an they took charge of him an done hil
up in shape. He soon pulled through
but he couldn't git over the idee o BEN